Not As It Seems
by QueMontgomery
Summary: Therese Rouna was willing to do ANYTHING to get chosen for her school’s foreign exchange program, even- CROSSDRESS! What happens when this gender bending beauty gets placed with our beloved Sohmas? YukixTohru ref, KyoxOC
1. Sexual Discrimination

**Author's Note**: Konnichiwa and Hajimemashite everyone! This is Que Montgomery, making a spectacular return with yet another foreign exchange student fic. Sorry- I know it may seem a little redundant, especially since my only other furuba fic followed almost the exact same guidelines, but please trust me- I have some WONDERFUL surprises planned!

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Don't sue. I'm poor.

**Plot:** Therese Rouna was willing to do ANYTHING to get chosen for her school's foreign exchange program, even- CROSSDRESS! What happens when this gender bending beauty gets placed with our beloved Sohmas? YukixTohru ref, KyoxOC

**Chapter One: Sexual discrimination.**

"AGHHHH!" Therese wailed in anguish as she flopped across her bed, succeeding in nothing except sending a flurry of her long, brown hair cascading across her face.

"I know, I said that, too," Therese's friend Lana commented.

Therese shot up again, waving the school notice in the air.

"You KNEW!" Therese asked her best friend, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to be the one to burst your bubble. My sincerest apologies." was Lana's calm answer.

Sighing, Therese fell back on the bed, staring sadly up at the ceiling.

"Yeah, I know. But it still doesn't feel any better."

Lana looked up from the homework on her desk, and gave her best friend a sympathetic smile. "You were really looking forward to that program, huh?"

"Aw, c'mon. I was _ecstatic_. According to the administration, Saint Jude's Academy hasn't participated in a foreign exchange student program for almost three _decades_. And now that they're finally starting it up again, they decide they're only allowing BOYS to go? That's SO biased!"

"Yeah, I know. Hey- if you want, we could sue the school for sexual discrimination!" Lana suggested.

"I wish. But my parents would never go for it."

"Nah- mine either."

"I did EVERYTHING to get accepted into that program, too!" Therese vented, "I raised my grades above the cutoff line, I haven't skipped class _once_, and I sent in my application weeks ahead of the due date! I even got Mr. Darwanitz to send me a reccomendation letter!"

Lana's green eyes flashed with disbelief.

"THE Darwanitz?" she asked incredulously, "The Foreign Cultures teacher that sends a shiver up every senior's spine? You got HIM to send you a reccomendation letter?"

"You know it- it was pretty hard work, too. But that's how determined I was!"

"Well, there's a fine line between determination and insanity, and if you got a recommendation letter from _Darwanitz_, you must have crossed that line a long time ago with room to spare."

"Ha ha ha." Therese replied dryly. "I still want to go, though."

"Nah, you never were one to give up easily." Lana agreed. Usually if an obstacle arrived in her best friend's plans, it only made her more resolved to get what she wanted.

"I never said I was going to give up this time, either!"

Lana whipped around, "What? Look, I know you said when this whole thing started that you were getting in that program, 'no matter what it took', but unless you're willing to under go a seriously _altering_ surgery, it's _not_ gonna happen. They're only accepting _boys_, remember? We can't make you a boy, even if we did have enough time- the plane leaves day after tomorrow. We just can't make you a boy by then!"

Therese got up, and somberly walked around the room, deep in thought, and Lana returned to her work, confident she finally got through to her friend. Therese walked over to the dresser she and Lana shared. It was the largest piece of furniture in their dorm room, even larger than the two girls' beds. Lana and Therese had been roommates since both of them had come to St. Jude's Academy two years ago. They had met, actually, right in this room. On that first day of school that seemed so long ago, Therese, still gloomy that her parents had shipped her off to a boarding school, had come into the dormitory to find Lana already there. Lana had smiled, and welcomed Therese to St. Jude's, saying it was her first year there as well. Therese had then said, "Oh, please. The only difference between this place and a girls' reformatory is the tuition. And we were _enrolled_ instead of _commited_."

They had immediately hit it off, and had been best friends ever since.

Lana was the quieter, more studious one, with long, straight blonde hair and bright green eyes that half the school envied. With a perfect figure and a GPA to match, Therese often found herself thinking that if Lana wasn't her best friend, she would be green with envy.

Therese looked gloomily at the large, polished mirror hanging over the dresser.

Therese was almost the polar opposite of Lana- mahogany brown hair that was between wavy and curly, brown eyes so dark they were almost black, and about as many curves as a yard stick. In fact, Lana often joked that if Therese didn't keep her hair long, it would be next to impossible to tell that she was a girl.

"If I didn't keep my hair long…"Therese said absently, a vague plan quickly taking shape in her mind.

"What was that?" Lana asked from her desk, "Did you say something?"

Therese's eyes scanned the top of the dresser until she found what she was looking for-a large pair of black scissors. Showing them to her best friend, Therese said victoriously, "I said I just found my way into that program!"

* * *

My Two Cents: YAY! First chapter complete! I know it was a bit shorter than my usual length, but I promise to make the next one longer, to make up for lost time, okay? Is that better? Good! Now then- on to chapter two! 


	2. On My Way

**Author's note:** Hey, now! I like the idea for this fic, so just keep reading, okay?

Also, a special thanks to my first reviewers on this fic:

Sango Twin: Thank you so much! I've noticed that you read most of my stories, and I'm glad that you like this one too! Thanks for being a patron! ((salutes))

Lil Angelic Baby: Domo Arigato .! I feel lucky all ready! So glad you like it, and I am so deeply honored that I get the privilege of being your first furuba fanfic! I'm glad you like the actual books, but you might want to hurry up and read the rest of them. I'm just worried that my story will include some spoilers or some characters you don't know about yet. But I'm sure you wouldn't mind reading the other six books, would you! Hope you like this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** you know the drill.

**CHAPTER TWO: On My Way**

"_Flight 72 to Tokyo now boarding"_

"_Flight 72 to Tokyo now boarding"_

_Crap!_ Therese thought franticly, hurrying to pull up her pants. _I'm gonna miss my flight!_

Therese burst through the stall door, shocking some of the other girls in the bathroom, and made a hasty exit. Flying through the hallway, dodging past people and luggage, she finally made it to her loading dock. Her seating area wasn't boarding yet, so she flopped down on one of the hard plastic chairs to catch her breath. _Perhaps changing into my guy clothes in the ladies' restroom wasn't the brightest idea,_ Therese told herself, _Although I probably would have gotten even more stares if I had just waltzed into the men's room to change. Ah, well. It doesn't matter- as long as I can make it to Japan without any problems, I'll be Scott-free._

Actually, Therese was still surprised at how easy it was to get her ticket to Japan. Though Lana argued at first, Therese finally got her to agree to give her a haircut. Therese had to admit, she was sort of sorry to see her long, well-kept brown hair be snipped away at first, but Lana did a good job, and Therese thought she looked pretty cute.

Because she had been to the Headmaster's office so often, Lana had advised that Therese talk to his secretary instead, to avoid being recognized. The headmaster's sectaries never stayed for more than a year, and the new secretary, Mrs. Stephanie, was all too easy to fool. She was a very timid middle-aged woman, and constantly had the look of a worried mouse. Therese had once said that Mrs. Stephanie would probably burst into tears if you looked at her crooked.

Before meeting with the secretary, Lana gave Therese one of the boy's school uniforms to wear. When Therese was done changing, her best friend laughed asked jokingly, "Hey, Therese, would you take me to the prom? I bet you'd look really spiffy in a tux."

Lana walked Therese to the headmaster's office, telling her to act like a snobby, rich little boy, and try to intimidate Mrs. Stephanie.

"Just say anything you can think of, and you gotta sound real important and full of yourself. But you can't laugh, okay? Go get in there!" Lana finished, giving Therese a shove through the door.

Mrs. Stephanie looked up at the sound of the door closing, and gave Therese a weak smile.

"Hello, young man," The secretary greeted, "May I help you?"

Suppressing a grin at being called "young man," Therese stood straight, and swaggered over to the secretary's desk before laying her hand on it and leaning against it.

"Yeah," Therese said, trying to be as rude as possible, "I got a problem with the foreign exchange program. All the other…er…_boys_ in my dorm got their acceptance letters a while back, and I ain't got mine yet. You know something about that?"

Mrs. Stephanie was taken aback for a moment before turning to her laptop and stammering, "W-well, um, if you could give me your name, I could look it up to…um…check."

"My…name?" Therese asked, stalling for time, trying to think up a name quickly," Uh- Thomas. Thomas…um-Rouna. Yeah, that's it- Thomas Rouna."

"All right, then Mr. Rouna, let me see," Mrs. Stephanie said, typing at a million keys a minute.

After a few seconds, Mrs. Stephanie said, "Well, it seems we don't have you in our foreign exchange program database. Are you sure you got your application in on time?"

"What, are you saying I'm a _liar_? Why else would I have you look it up? You're accusing a kid of just coming here and stirring up trouble for no reason? Is that what you're insinuating? I don't appreciate being called a liar, Mrs. Stephanie."

"No! I- uh- please, don't take it like that, I just wondered about your application-"

"_My_ application was boosted to the top of the line, courtesy of my _father_, _Daniel_ Rouna, _head_ of the executive committee. In fact, if I were you, I would be more concerned with _your_ application,"

"M…M-my ..application?" Mrs. Stephanie had stuttered.

"Yes," Therese answered smoothly, plopping down on the chair and resting her feet on the lady's desk, "You _did_ apply to stay here for next year, didn't you? Perhaps I ought to tell my father to consider your application _very_ carefully."

"What do you know!" the secretary exclaimed suddenly, "Of course- I remember the headmaster saying something about your application, how silly of me to forget-"

"But the database-"

"The database was wrong!" Mrs. Stephanie trilled unconvincingly, slamming the screen to her laptop down, and going over to one of her many file cabinets, "Now let's see if I can find you an assignment somewhere."

"_Somewhere_?" Therese asked, tossing her short hair back haughtily, "I don't want some dinky left-over assignment,"

"Aha!" Mrs. Stephanie said, pulling a small packet out of an otherwise empty folder, "Oh- No! nononono! This is your- er- special _reserved_ assignment, right in the middle of Tokyo!"

The secretary handed over the packet, and Therese flipped through it, not quite sure what to do for a minute. Then she asked, "So…?"

"So…what?" Mrs. Stephanie asked fearfully.

"So- where on earth are my plane tickets? You don't expect me to flap my arms all the way to Japan, do you?"

"GAH! No- of course not! I'm so sorry! I can't believe I was so inconsiderate! Yes, yes, naturally you will need your plane tickets!" the frazzled secretary quavered, pulling a plane ticket from a different file cabinet and handing it over to Therese as though it were going to explode any moment.

Therese snatched it out of the woman's hand, suppressing a giggle with supreme difficulty. Looking at the ticket, Therese feigned shock and said in mock outrage, "PASSENGER SEATING? You might as well just put me in cargo with the _animals_! How dare you! My _father_ paid for me to fly _first-class_! I _only_ travel first-class- even a community college graduate like _you_ should know that!"

"WAHHHHH!" Mrs. Stephanie shrieked in horror, running back to the filing cabinet and searching through it hysterically, "I'm SOOOO SOOORRRYYYYY! Please forgive me- I should have known! I can't believe I made such a crucial error! Please forgive me! Here-! One first-class ticket left! Now then, anything else I can do for you, Mr. Rouna?"

Therese considered for a moment demanding the three hundred dollars she was "supposed" to receive from her "father", but then decided that it would be pushing it a little far, so she said "No, thank you," in a dismissive tone before exiting quickly.

Lana, who had been listening right outside, burst into a fit of giggles as soon as Therese snapped the door shut, and she praised her best friend for such a great performance.

"_First-class seating is now available"_

"_First class passengers may now board the plane"_

The voice from the intercom interrupted her thoughts, and Therese picked up her book bag and headed over to the boarding area. Therese was a notoriously light packer, and never traveled with more than her leather suitcase and her book bag. Therese's backpack was her most treasured possession. It was made of canvas dyed a dark purple, with green fabric on the bottom and a brown suede flap with an old belt buckle to keep it shut. Therese's mother had given it to her when she was in the fifth grade, and Therese took it everywhere she went.

Therese remembered the fight she had had with the airline stewardess at the bag check earlier that morning. She had only wanted to check her suitcase, but the stewardess took Therese's knapsack also, saying it, too, had to go in the cargo hold with the rest of the luggage. She had practically knocked the poor woman down grabbing her bag back, and she wrapped her arms around it tightly, saying that she was taking her bag on the plane with her, and there was no way they could stop her. The stewardess looked like she was going to say something, but she merely sighed and said, "Fine, just go. You're holding up the line,"

Therese was about to get in line with the other first-class passengers to board the plane, but then she heard a very familiar voice.

"Hey, Mike, excited to go to Japan?"

"Yeah, but I'm even more excited to check out the hot Japanese babes!"

_Oh, no! _Therese thought panicked, stopping in her tracks, _It's Mike!_

And there he was- Mike Fawro- standing amidst about six other boys, all from her class. _Dammit! I forgot that all of the St. Jude's students have to sit together! I can't sit by them- they're all way smarter than Mrs. Stephanie, and some strange boy from their class that they've never seen before is sure to be noticed!_ Scanning over the group of boys, Therese recognized them all- and was sure that if she sat by them, they would all recognize her.

Therese was very social at St. Jude's, and like to be involved in many different activities. Though her best friend, Lana, was considered the princess of the school, Therese got a fair number of boys asking her on dates, usually more than once. She never accepted, though. Having a boyfriend just seemed like stress and aggravation she didn't want to deal with. All of the boys in that group had asked her out on at least several occasions, and Therese was certain that a haircut and a simple change of clothes wouldn't fool a single one of them.

Therese held back around the end of the line, until the boys had boarded the plane. Then she gave the man her ticket, got on the plane, and immediately walked to the back section until she found a few open seats. It wasn't exactly first-class, but it was better than being caught, reported, and possible kicked off the plane. Luckily, she had three seats to herself, and she sat next to the window, gazing out onto the runway, waiting nervously.

She was certain that any minute, the stewardess would check her ticket, and tell her to go up to first-class to her correct seat, or one of the boys would walk by on their way to the bathroom and spot her.

Nothing of the sort happened, and a few minutes later, Therese felt her stomach drop as the plane started to take off. Sighing deeply, Therese thanked God that everything was working out. _If I can just pull this off, and I can make it to the Japanese airport without being caught, I can complete the plan and no one will be any the wiser._

The last step of what Lana titled, "Operation: Sex Change" was for Therese to make it to the airport in Japan and head straight for the bathrooms. With luck, Therese would be able to change back into a girl. That way, when the host family picked her up, she could say that the program made a mistake, and she was actually the student who was supposed to stay with them, instead of "Thomas Rouna".

I hope they're not too disappointed that a girl will be staying with them instead of the boy they're expecting. I don't think they will be- just a little startled. I mean, it's not really that big of a deal, right?

Therese silently thanked Lana, and for a moment she was filled with sadness at the thought that she wouldn't see her best friend for a whole year. _It was all because of her that this worked out. I never would have thought of such a flawless plan._ Therese also made a mental note to write Lana at least once a week, and to send her all sorts of Japanese goodies.

_I'm on my way, _she thought, _to a whole new adventure. A new school, new language, new country, new family…Hmm…The family…wonder what they're like? I never really looked at that information Mrs. Stephanie gave me on my host family…Now, where'd I put it?_

Therese dug through her bag until the found the sheets, and she scanned it quickly before she found a page titled, "Host Family Information". Therese looked through it to try and learn about her new family, and thought about what the family was like.

_Their family name is "Sohma". I wonder if there is more than one family named Sohma. It could just be that sort of name, like Smith, or something. _

_Okay, so it says that there's one adult, some guy named…uh...Sugar Ray? Well- I'll figure out how to say his name later- and he's...some sort of…novelist! Hey, that's cool! But it doesn't say anything about a mother…Maybe he's a widower or something…_

_Okay- kids. There are three kids, and all my age, too! How about that! _

_There's a girl…um.. Toh…Toorrr…Tohru Honda- okay, I got her name- but she doesn't have the same last name. Wonder what that's all about? Maybe this Tohru chick is Shiger-key's niece, or something like that._

_Now then- it looks like this Shiggorey character has two sons. Now let's see if I can say their names…Uh- this guy…Kay-yo…um…Kro-eyo? No..lemme think…Kyo! There we go- this isn't so bad. That guy is Kyo Sohma, then and this other one…. hm…Yew-key? Yuki? Hm- Kyo and Yuki Sohma. They sound like quite a pair. I bet they're the best of friends!_

_Damn- three guys in the house? That's a little…creepy. Especially with just that one girl there. But I'm sure there's gotta be some explanation. I just wish there could be a mom or something- just some sort of feminine influence. Guys can get pretty stupid, and they really tick me off sometimes. But I can't jump to conclusions. Japanese culture is smothered with manners, right? The guys there will probably be way more polite than in America._

_Now it says here that this Yuki guy is the Student Host- wow, look at that list of clubs! He's really involved, isn't he? And he's the student body president? His grades are top-notch, too. He's gotta be way popular. He sounds like a pretty likeable guy- we actually have a lot in common, school-wise. He must be really cool, that kinda guy that's comfortable in just about any situation and makes friends really easily. He probably has tons of friends! It looks like he's just a real easy guy to talk to and get along with. I'm sure we'll hit it off real quick._

_It doesn't say anything about that Kyo kid, though. Maybe he's not really into school activities. He must be that quiet, shy type that likes to sorta be by himself. I can see that- especially since his brother, Yuki, is so involved. They must be almost total opposites, but together, they make a great team and they work together really well. I can picture it now- quiet, thoughtful Kyo, and happy-go-lucky Yuki. _

_I wonder what the other two are like- Tohru and..um..Shi..Shigure. Shigure's a novelist, so he's probably pretty soft-spoken and solemn, too. I don't really know what to make of Tohru. Oh, well, I'll meet her soon enough. I hope she and I become really good friends! It'll be weird without Lana around, but at least if there's one girl there, I won't be so lonely, right?_

"It's finally happening….My great adventure…I'm finally…on my way…" Therese yawned, shutting her eyes and falling fast asleep.

* * *

**My Two Cents:** YAY! I really like this chappie! I hope you like it, too. Let me thank all of the readers of this story for their encouragement and support. It makes me just want to keep writing forever and ever. I especially like all of Therese's pre-conceived notions about what Kyo and Yuki are like. I've been wanting to do something like that for a while. But how will she react when she sees how the Sohmas really are? And will her plan really work out at the airport? I'll give you three guesses… 


	3. Why is he staring?

**Author's Note:** Yep- I'll give you a wild guess as to how well her plan will work out. Well- I don't want to keep you waiting- so- here you go!

Also: Lil Angelic baby- So glad you like my story so much! . it makes me really happy! And if you think it's funny now- just wait till she finally meets them. I got some great things planned! "signs"? There are "signs" on the backs of the books? what "signs"- you mean their Zodiac animal? O.o

Sango Twin: . well, if they didn't fall asleep, thet would be a lot of time to fill, and I'm just not up to typing all that. Sumimasen, if you don't like that she falls asleep/ . \ ''

senjo: No, please! I like like it when people ramble! (if you don't beleive me, check the reviews for my other Furuba Story) I'm just glad you like to read it! Now then- ON WITH THE SHOW!

**Disclaimer:** you know the drill

**Chapter THREE: Why is he staring?**

"_Flight 72 to from America is now stationed at the loading dock,"_

_"Flight 72 passengers may now leave the plane,"_

"Huh!" Therese said startled. The voice over the intercom woke her from her sleep, and she silently cursed herself for not waking up earlier. Gathering her stuff and shoving it as best she could in her bag, Jenny stood and got off the plane quickly, hoping to have enough time to make it to the bathroom. _I can't believe I slept through the whole flight! Any of those guys from St. Jude's could have seen me as they walked to the back to go to the bathroom- I didn't even have enough sense to sleep with a blanket over my head or anything! If I can just make a hasty exit and get by Mike and his friends, everything should be fine. I think I'm the only one assigned to live in Tokyo, too. _

Therese managed to get off the plane, hoping she had put enough distance between herself and the boys, but when she looked around the reception area, she couldn't find them. _Where could they have all gone so quickly?_

"Hey, Mike! Hurry up- we're gonna be late!"

"Shut your face- I'm coming!"

"Dude- you almost made us miss the plane, and if that train to Kyoto leaves without us, I swear!"

"Stop your whining! I'm right here!"

_Aw- crap!_, Therese thought, looking around, _How did they get behind me? This isn't good! I can't make my way to the bathrooms without walking right in front of them! Gotta hide! Gotta HIDE!_

Just as the group of boys entered the lobby, Therese plopped down on one of the plasti!c chairs lining the wall, grabbed a newspaper from the chair beside her, and hid her face behind it. Fortunately, the boys took no notice, and walked straight ahead, to the exit. Sighing deeply, Therese let the paper slip from her hands, and she slouched in her seat. _That was a close one. At least I know now- they're going to Kyoto, so no problems there._

A fit of muffled giggles caught her attention- a group of about three girls kept glancing over at her, blushing and whispering. They only looked to be about a year or two younger, and Therese grew increasingly uncomfortable as they kept peeking her way. Trying not to look interested, Therese strained her ears to hear what they were saying.

"…_so cute, isn't he?…"_

"…_must be American- the boys here aren't nearly that good looking!"_

"…_think we should go over? Maybe he'll ask us out!"_

"…_really is handsome! He must have a girlfriend!"_

_Wow- they think I'm pretty hot! _Therese thought, sort of pleased with herself, _I never knew I could make such an attractive guy…wait a minute- maybe that's not a thing to really celebrate. Does that mean I don't look good as a girl? This is all too confusing- I think I'm just going to get changed now, before my host family arrives._

Therese stood and made her way over to the area where the bathrooms were- but she didn't go in. Looking between the two doors, Therese hesitated. _Which one? Which one should I go in? I guess the girl's, since I'm going to change into my girl's clothes. But what if there are already women in there? I don't think they'd appreciate some random guy just walking in. Maybe the guy's bathroom would be the best choice- but what will happen when I walk back out and I'm a girl again? Besides, I really don't want to see what a guy's bathroom looks like anyway- there could be men in there peeing in those fountain things! Maybe there's a janitor's closet or something where I could change-_

"Excuse me, are you all right?"

"GAHH!" Therese exclaimed, jumping from surprise.

She turned around- and was met by the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. The eyes were a blue gray, shaded with long, dark lashes, and they belonged to a tall, teenage boy with equally silver hair.

_Beautiful_, Therese thought vaguely. But then she noticed that the silver-haired boy was not alone. There were, in fact, several other also looking at Therese in concern. There was another boy, who looked to be about her age, with vibrant orange hair, burning red eyes, and a very disgruntled scowl. Next to him was a teenage girl- she was very pretty, and she had long brown hair tied up in ribbons. Therese also noticed two older men, maybe late-twenties, in the group. One had shaggy black hair and wore a robe, and the other, wearing a three-piece suit, had a very austere expression on his face as he gazed down at her.

"Um- are you…all right?" the silver-haired boy repeated.

"Oh!" Therese said, snapping back to reality, "Y-Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, f-for asking, it's just- I'm not from here, so I just…um wasn't sure…uh…which bathroom…to go…in…to…"

The group of strangers only looked at her questioningly, and Therese knew what a stupid excuse it was as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Of course, of course," said the man in the kimono laughingly, "A natural mistake for any visitor to make. Where did you say you were from?"

"Oh-um," Therese said, relaxing a bit, "I'm an exchange student from America."

"Did you come here on the 9a.m. flight, plane number 72?" said the other man in a deep, serious tone.

"Y-y-yes, sir," Therese answered, a bit nervous again at his sharp, strict voice, "I did- the plane just arrived."

"That's good! I was afraid we would be late!" the man in the kimono smiled, "Now, then, you say you're an exchange student? You wouldn't happen to know a boy by the name of-" –the man looked over a sheet of paper until he found what he was looking for- "-'Thomas Rouna' would you? He is an exchange student we are picking up, and this form says he was on your flight. Do you know him?"

_This isn't happening_, Therese thought, looking at the group with wide eyes, _This can NOT be happening._

Though she was sure it could lead only to disaster, Therese set her lips in a hopefully convincing smile and said, "Yeah, um- _I'm_ Thomas Rouna. Pleased to meet you."

"Excellent!" The man in the kimono exclaimed, "What luck to find you here! And can you guess who _we_ are?"

"Uh- the…Sohmas?" Therese ventured a guess.

"Right you are!" the man answered cheerfully.

"So, then, you must be Shigure Sohma. It's an honor to meet you," Therese said, bowing to the quiet, solemn man in the suit next to him.

"Um, actually, I'm Shigure. That is Hatori. He's the Sohma family doctor. He drove us here to pick you up." Shigure smiled.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Therese apologized, bowing deeply to the real Shigure. _Dammit!_ Therese reprimanded herself, _Way to go, Therese! You really know how to start things off on the right foot!_

"It's fine, really," Shigure said.

"Perhaps we ought to go get Rouna-san's luggage and head home," The silver haired boy said softly.

"That's the first good idea I've heard all day," Hatori said, leading them all over to the baggage claim.

"Hello, there!" the girl introduced, walking alongside Therese, "I'm Tohru Honda. It's great to finally meet you, Rouna-san. I hope you will like staying with us- I know we're glad to have you."

"Thank you very much," Therese said awkwardly, "And please- call me-er- Thomas."

A small fight caught Therese's attention, and she looked around- Shigure, the silver haired boy, and the orange haired boy had walked ahead to the baggage claim to get her bag, but the orange haired boy didn't look too happy with Shigure.

"YOU PERVERT! WHAT DID YOU HAVE TO GO AND SAY THAT FOR?" the orange-haired boy was bellowing, "One day, Shigure, the cops are going to come arrest you for being so lecherous, and I'm not going to stop them!"

"Please, let's just get Rouna-san's bag and go. Honestly, I don't know why you feel the need to cause a big scene whenever you go out in public," The silver-haired boy admonished, picking up Therese's suitcase and carrying it back to where she, Tohru, and Hatori were waiting.

"Shut up! Stop acting like you're all superior to me! You can't tell me what to do!" the orange haired boy screamed back.

"Don't you have any manners?" the boy with silver hair snapped, "You could at least have enough decency not to yell in front of our guest barely two minutes after you've met him."

The orange-haired boy, realizing how rude he was being, quickly folded his arms fell silent, but his red eyes smoldered with suppressed anger, and his lips were pursed with annoyance.

They all piled into the car, Tohru between Hatori and Shigure in the front seat, Therese in the middle of Yuki and Kyo in the back seat. No one really spoke while Hatori drove, and the silence was about to drive Therese crazy. But she used the time to go over what she had learned so far.

_Wow- I really screwed this one up. Now I have to go through a whole year as a guy? Where's Lana when you need her? At least the family seems nice- I'll tell them I'm a girl when the right moment comes. Shigure wasn't at all how I pictured him. I thought he would be stoic and placid- I guess that's why I thought Hatori was Shigure. Also- the form didn't say anything about Hatori. He's a Sohma- maybe he's Shigure's brother. In fact…_

Therese, who had been looking around, lost in thought, saw Hatori looking at her through the rearview mirror of the car. Therese looked away quickly, but when she glanced back- he was looking at her again!

_Why is he staring at me? Do I have something on my face? Maybe I slept on my hair wrong and it looks funny- I never got to look in the mirror. Well- I'll just try to ignore it._

Silence pressed in on Therese heavily, who was growing more and more anxious and fidgetyby the minute.

"Are you all right, Rouna-san?" the boy with the silver hair asked her.

"Me? I-I'm fine," Therese said unconvincingly, "I'm just excited to be here, is all."

"Oh, you'll really like school here, Tohma-kun!" Tohru said from the front seat, "Yuki-kun is the Student council president- I'm sure he'll be happy to answer any of your questions."

"Well, I have been meaning to ask you," Therese said, turning to the boy with orange hair, "What's it like to be student council president? Is it hard, doing that and juggling all those other clubs?"

"What?" the orange haired boy said.

"Well, it's just that I was really active in my school in America, so I was thinking you would be the best one to talk to about school activities here," Therese went on.

"What on earth are you babbling about?" the orange haired boy asked again, sounding annoyed.

Therese turned to the boy with silver hair, since she wasn't getting anywhere with the other boy.

"Kyo-san," Therese asked the silver haired boy, "Do you help your brother with his clubs and things like that?"

"My…brother…?" the boy with silver hair asked confused.

"Well, the form said that you weren't really in any school clubs," Therese said, "and Yuki-san is so busy, and since the two of you are so close I thought maybe you helped him out a little."

"Close?" the boy with orange hair asked.

"Of course, Yuki-san!" Therese said to the orange haired boy, "You and Kyo-san must be the best of friends! Aren't you glad that he is your brother?"

No one in the car spoke a word, and Therese's question hung in the air. _Uh-oh, did I say something impolite?_

"Okay, I'm totally lost now," the orange haired boy said after a while.

"With a mind as small as yours, who wouldn't be?" quipped the boy with silver hair.

"Oh, and I suppose you know exactly what the new guy is talking about?"

"Hold on you two!" Shigure ordered, looking at the group in the back seat through the rearview mirror, "Tohma-kun, would you mind telling me which one of those two is Yuki?"

After a moment, Therese lifted her hand, and pointed to the sulking boy with orange hair on her right.

"And which one is Kyo?" Shigure pressed.

Therese pointed to the boy with silver hair and shockingly gray eyes on her left.

"And since they are both Sohmas, how are they related?" questioned the novelist.

"They're brothers." Therese answered promptly.

Shigure busted up laughing loudly, Tohru giggled, Kyo bristled, and Yuki and Hatori sighed deeply.

"-and you, Shigure-san, are their father," Therese finished.

Shigure stopped his manic laughter, but Hatori gave a small, sardonic smile and said sarcastically, "Nicely done, _Dad_,"

"Is…is that…not right?" Therese blinked.

"NO, IT'S NOT RIGHT!" The orange haired boy yelled, "That pervert Shigure is NOT my dad, and that damn Yuki is DEFINITELY not my brother! I get chills just THINKING of it!"

"Trust me, if anyone hates the thought of being your brother, it's me," the silver-haired boy huffed, "I am already ashamed to call you my cousin. I'd rather die than be related any closer to you than I already am."

"That's enough out of you two!" Shigure told the boys, before turning a kind smile on Therese, "I think the form you were given had a typo on it. That is Yuki-"-Shigure gestured to the boy with gleaming silver hair-"-and that is Kyo-"- then he pointed to the moody boy with bright orange hair-"-and I am positive that neither of them in my son…. maybe."

_Pervert_, Yuki and Kyo thought.

"Wow- I can't believe I had it so wrong," Therese apologized, not willing to say that she had made all of these assumptions herself, "I'm really sorry. No wonder you were all so confused. I'll be sure to get it right from now on- promise!"

Silence once again took hold on all of the people in the car, and Therese once again let her thoughts wander. _Man- I really got things switched around, didn't I? It's just that Yuki was so quiet, and Kyo was so outgoing, I was sure I had it right. Guess that shows me not to predict people's personalities before I meet them. I was so sure I had it right, too! They're really nothing like I expected. Kyo may be more outgoing, but he's not the nice sort of outgoing I was expecting. In fact, he really seems to have a chip on shoulder. Is he mad at me, or does he just hate the world? I don't know…And Yuki is so quiet- except when he's yelling at Kyo. They might be complete opposites, but really don't get along like I thought they would. This is gonna be one helluva year, I know that much._

Therese quieted her thoughts as she caught Hatori looking at her once more in the mirror. _What is his DEAL? I'm sorta starting to get a little creeped out by this! Gasp! Maybe he knows I'm really a girl! Can he really see through my disguise?_

A voice that sounded annoyingly like Lana's told her, **_Disguise? What disguise? You mean an amateur haircut and a pair of Levi's? Yeah- NOBODY could see through such a flawless disguise!_**

_Shut up!_ Therese told the voice, before silently admonishing herself, _Great! Now I'm fighting with voices in my head! I'm probably only one small step away from picking up an air rifle and letting loose._

_Okay- I gotta get a grip on myself. _

_Gah! He's looking at me again! Shigure-san said Hatori-san was a doctor. Man- then it must be so obvious to Hatori-san that I'm really a girl. I can't believe I really thought this would work- I should have told them I wasn't a guy right from the start. Or better yet- I never should have gone on this trip to begin with._

They finally pulled up to a nice, respectable-looking two-story house, surrounded by a forest. Everyone got out of the car, and Yuki took Therese's bag out of the car and went in the house with it. Therese went to grab her book bag, but somebody picked it up first- it was Hatori.

"Th-Thank you, Hatori-sama," Therese said, reaching out her hand for her bag.

But Hatori didn't give it to her. Instead, he gazed down at her thoughtfully for a moment before saying, "There is something I've been meaning to ask you…"

"Y-Yes?" Therese said, dreading what was to come. _Aw, man- I didn't even make it in the house, and now he's gonna ask why I'm dressed like a boy. I am going to get in SO much trouble for this. I know I like to cause a little mischief at school, but this ha got to be the biggest thing I've EVER done. And now it's over before it even began._

"Is that your natural hair color?" Hatori asked.

Therese froze in shock. "Wuh-what?"

"I'm sorry if I offended you, it's just that I've always seen Americans with blonde or red hair. I was just wondering if your hair was naturally that dark brown."

"Y-Yes. Yes, it is. Guys in America usually have darker hair than girls do." Therese smiled, relaxing a bit.

"I didn't mean to pry," Hatori went on, taking Therese's bag and walking towards the house with it, "but I kept looking at you through the rearview mirror the whole ride here trying to figure it out, since I didn't want to be impolite and ask you."

"Oh, no, that's fine," Therese assured him, following him to the house, "I guess it's a pretty understandable question. I don't mind at all."

"That's good," Hatori said when they reached the door. He handed her book bag to her, and walked back to his car. Just before he got in, however, he turned back and said, "I do hope your stay here will be enjoyable. It was nice to meet you…_Miss_ Rouna,"

And he took off down the road, leaving Therese speechless on the porch.

* * *

My Two Cents: O.O Wow- bet you didn't see that one coming did you? In fact, I really had planned on Hatori asking Therese about her hair color, and leaving it at that, just to sort of build some suspense, but have it be no big deal. But I like this MUCH better than that idea! I wonder what will happen next? Reviews and suggestions welcome as always, and arigato for reading!. 


	4. I could get used to this

**Author's Note:** hooray! Another exciting chapter of my story! I'm so glad you all like it- and gomen nasai I haven't updated faster! . Sumimasen! However, I don't think you will be too disappointed- for all those Yuki fans out there, he takes his shirt off- and our main character Therese gives a rather _detailed_ description. >. I'm bad, but you love it! Now then- ROLL FILM!

**Disclaimer:** The snack that smiles back, Goldfi- WHOOPS! Sorry, wrong one! You know the drill- not mine.

**CHAPTER FOUR:** I could get used to this…

Sliding the door shut behind her, muffling the sound of Hatori's car as it drove away, Therese was bout to have a heart attack.

_OhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygod!_ Therese was thinking, panicked, leaning against the door for support, _He KNEW! He knows I'm a girl! It's all over now- I can't believe I thought I could pull this off! Now I'm going to be sent back to St. Jude's, probably be on probation, if not expelled, my parents will be in disgrace, and I could be arrested for falsifying documents! I'M TOO YOUNG TO GO TO JAIL!_

"Hey!"

"No, I'm innocent!" Therese cried out.

"_What?_ What are you talking about?"

"Huh?" Therese said, realizing what she had said, and she turned around.

It was Kyo- and he froze. What on earth…? He thought. What's with him? Kyo looked at Therese and his stomach dropped- there was just something about the way the new boy looked; the way the exchange student's cheeks were blushing, making them pink, the way Thomas' eyes were glistening with unshed tears, and the expression of sadness that he was giving Kyo now. It startled him into silence.

"Sohma-kun?" Therese asked, afraid maybe Kyo had just figured out that she was a girl.

Kyo shook his head, reached into his pocket, and handed a handkerchief to Therese.

"You could at least stay here for a couple days before you start crying to go home." Kyo said harshly, "Look- I just came to tell you that you're gonna be sleeping in that damn Yuki's room, alright? And lunch is gonna be soon, so get your crap put away!"

Kyo began to walk off, but Therese said, "Wait!" and reached out to stop him. She got a hand full of his shirt, and Kyo jerked back in surprise.

"Hey, What's the big idea?" Kyo shouted, turning on Therese.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Therese yelped, and letting go of his shirt, stepping back, putting her hands up, "I just wanted to ask…why you were mad at me…"

Kyo blinked, before heaving a deep sigh, and putting his hands in his pockets.

"I'm not _mad_ at you- It's just…Look- I lose my temper real easy, so if I get mad or yell at you, just know I'm not _really_ mad at you, ok? Now hurry up- lunch will be starting soon."

Kyo stalked off, and Therese wasn't too convinced. _Either he's mad at me….or REALLY mad at someone else…I wonder who it could be…._

_Oh well, I guess I'll find out soon enough_, Therese said to herself as she sighed, and picked up her suitcase, heading upstairs in Kyo's wake…

Once Kyo had shown Therese around the house, he disappeared into his own bedroom, leaving Therese outside Yuki's bedroom door.

Therese gulped.

_Okay, now, I know he and I didn't quite get off to the spectacular start I thought we would, and he's not exactly as I pictured him- but that's no reason we can't become good friends now! I'm sure once I get him to open up a little, he's really a good guy and a loyal friend. He's right on the other side of this door, and all I gotta do is just swing this door open, smile real big, and be the nicest person I know how!_

After she got her self pumped up with her little pep talk, Therese grasped the handle of the door, slid it open, and said, "Hey, there, roomie!" with a big grin.

But Therese's eyes flashed open and her mouth dropped-

There was Yuki, half naked. Therese saw his discarded shirt rumpled carelessly on the floor, but her main focus was on Yuki's body. Therese had to admit- no other boy she knew had a body like that. His chest was much more defined and toned than most teenage boys- he was broad in the chest and shoulders, and his pearly skin only made him more appealing. She was slightly behind him, and Yuki- without knowing she was there- proceeded to pull his pants zipper down. Therese caught a flash of navy blue boxers before she turned away, knocked loudly on the wall and said in an unnaturally high voice, "Hey, there! Sorry to intrude, but Kyo-san said I should just come in, But I apologize, I didn't know you were changing, I'll just come back later when you're decent-"

"Oh, no-that's quite all right," Yuki said, holding up his pants with one hand as he walked over, and shut the door with the other- before Therese could leave.

"Eep!" Therese squeaked softly as his strong arm brushed her shoulder.

"I'll be done in a minute- I hope you don't mind. You can go ahead and unpack while I get changed. Besides, it's not like it's anything you haven't seen before, right?" Yuki said teasingly.

"R-Right!" Therese peeped, turning her back on Yuki while he changed, spending an exaggerated amount of time putting her clothes in the chest of drawers.

"There we go," Yuki said finally, and Therese turned around. She was relieved, yet slightly disappointed that the prince was dressed, but she suppressed both feelings, smiling at Yuki, and giving him a thumbs up. "You look great. I bet all the girls just LOVE you!"

Yuki gave her a polite, yet distant, smile and nodded saying, "Yes, I suppose they do. . ." before leaving the room, and shutting the door behind him.

Arching an eyebrow, Therese thought, _Okaaaaay- a little creepy, yes- but I'm sure he's a real nice guy deep down!_

_That's gotta be it- he's just shy! Well, I promise you, Yuki Sohma- by the time I leave here, you and me will be best friends!_

Therese locked the door securely before pulling off her own clothes- the last thing she needed now was unwanted interruption. Therese looked in the mirror, studying herself from all angles. Lana had shown her how to strap her boobs down- _not that they're that big to begin with,_ Therese thought despondently. Therese saw her reflection in the mirror as she turned around looking at herself in her underwear- and she tugged irritated at the long, stretchy cloth that kept her breasts down. _Damn thing! So itchy!_

_Y'know_- Therese thought, turning her head to one side,- I_ really don't look half bad as a boy. In fact, I think I look pretty handsome! Maybe it's good that I'm not as curvy as Lana. . .I'm a little on the short side though- especially compared to Yuki and Kyo. But I don't think anyone will think about it- they'll just chalk it up to me being American or something. There is my voice though. . .Do I sound a lot like a girl? I don't know- I've never really considered that before. . .I guess I kinda do- and Lana always said my laugh was really girly. But I don't want to lower my voice and end up sounding like the Terminator or something. . I dunno- I guess I'll go with what I have for now- and I'll think about it later if someone says something. But for now- I need to find some clothes to wear. . ._

Therese turned, and looked around the room. She had only unpacked her less-feminine clothes, and now she locked up her suitcase with her dresses, bras, skirts, and blouses in it, and hid it in the back of he closet. Digging through her clothes in the two drawers Yuki emptied out for her, she finally decided on a plain black t-shirt, and some boy's cargo shorts she had swiped from Lost and Found at St. Jude's. She normally paired the shorts with a cute halter top- to show off her petite figure, but now, they helped disguise her girlish body. They were loose on her, and hung down to her knees like most boy's shorts did- and coupled with her short hair and flattened chest, Therese was confident that no one would be any the wiser about her real gender.

Stepping out in the hallway, Therese bumped into something hard and fell over.

"WAAAAAUGH!" Therese cried out as the ground rushed up to meet her. She landed hard on her butt, and knocked her head against the floor, and she heard the thing she bumped into fall over as well.

But then the thing spoke- or rather- yelled.

"GODDAMNIT!"

Looking across from her, Therese saw Kyo fallen on the floor in the middle of what looked like a dozen scattered towels.

"Oh- I'm so sorry!" Therese said, sitting up, "I really didn't mean to run into you, it's just I opened the door, and there you were, and I guess I wasn't really paying close attention-"

"JUST SHUT UP!" Kyo yelled, rubbing a spot on his head where it had hit the floor, "Will you stop babbling? You give me a headache! Jeez- I try to be nice and bring you the damn towels like Shigure tells me to, and what I get? I get pushed to the ground! Can't I take two steps in this house without ramming into you?"

"Hey!" Therese cried out indignantly, "That's not fair! I already apologized! And besides- I've hardly been in this house an hour- so you can't say you always run into me! I mean, can't I take two steps in this house without you ripping my head off about one thing or another?"

"What did you say?" Kyo said angrily, advancing on Therese and clenching his fist, "WHY DON"T I REALLY RIP YOUR HEAD OFF, AND SEE IF THAT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER?"

Therese's eyes flashed in fear, and she scrambled to get away, still on the floor. _So much for the guys here being nicer than in America! This guy's LOST it!_

Kyo advanced, gritting his teeth and thinking angrily, Who does this new guy think he is! Does he think he can just waltz in here and start ordering me around? Well, I'll show him who's in charge here! Kyo raised his fist, about to punch the new guy as hard as he could across the face.

_HOLY SHIT! He's really gonna hit me!_ Therese thought in alarm. It was too late to move out of the way, so Therese turned her head, and raised her right arm across her face to protect herself as best she could. Shutting her eyes as tightly as possible and bracing herself, Therese waited for the blow--- but it never came.

Blinking her eyes open warily, Therese looked up at Kyo- who was looking right back at her.

What the-? Kyo said to himself, What is this? He. . looks so. .The new guy just looks so. . I can't describe it- he's so . . .scared- but there's something else that I can't quite put my finger on. . .What is it about him?

When he realized that the new kid was looking up at him, Kyo gasped, and blushed a bit.

"KYO!"

Therese looked behind Kyo- and to her relief, there stood Yuki- though he looked less than pleased to see Kyo.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? You _imbecile_! Right after our guest gets here you try to PUNCH him? What's your _damage_? Are state certified _insane_, or something?" Yuki admonished, lending a hand and helping Therese off the floor.

Kyo lowered his fist, looking angry with himself more than he was at Yuki.

"Just shut up! Stop going on like you know what you're talking about!" Kyo said in reply.

"Well, excuse _me_ if I stopped you from beating our guest to a pulp when _all_ Shigure told you to do was give him a few _towels_!" Yuki retorted, placing an arm around Therese protectively.

Therese looked down hard at the floor, trying not to show how bad she was blushing. _OhmyGOD! His arm's around me! I can feel his muscles- he feels so strong! I guess he does do martial arts. Wow- Yuki is so. . .noble! To have saved me like that! I really thought I was done for. ._

Kyo noticed the way the new kid blushed, and instantly a flame of rage engulfed his heart and his anger blew up again.

"Whatever, you damn rat! Just-- take your new _boyfriend_ there and get outta my sight!"

And with that, Kyo turned on his heel, went into his own bedroom, and slammed the door HARD behind him.

Though Therese blushed harder at Kyo's gay remark, Yuki wasn't phased at all. He merely sighed, and kept his arm around Therese before saying, "Let's get some lunch, shall we?" and he steered her downstairs into the dining room.

Walking down the hall, Therese pondered, _I wonder why Kyo just stopped like that when he was about to punch me? Why did he hesitate? He looked . . .shocked about something. . Gasp! Has he figured out I'm a girl?..._ Therese snuck a glance over at Yuki, and a small grin flickered across her face. _Well- I don't care what Kyo does- so long as Yuki will always be here to protect me. . .I could get used to **this**!. . ._

Back in his room, Kyo flopped across his bed, feeling frustrated.

Why did I _hesitate_, damnit, he thought darkly, And why did I just _snap _like that when the new kid blushed? I'd blush, too, if that damn rat put his arm around me. . .but- his blush was different. The new kid blushed like. . .he was _enjoying_ it. . .

Kyo shook his head, realizing he was blushing himself. That guy, though--Thomas--that face he made- when I was about to hit him. . .it was so- sensitive. . .He looked almost. . .pretty, I guess would be the word.

I just HATED seeing that damn rat's arm around him, though! I just got so ANGRY!

Gasping, Kyo thought in alarm, Wait. . .am I. . ._jealous_?

And Kyo sat silently on his bed for a long time. . .deep in thought. . .

* * *

**My Two Cents:** Sorry it took so long for an update- I'm in Japan right now, and I just keep putting it off and putting it off- but now I've finally updated. Hope you all likey-likey! I'll try and get the next chapter up soon- sweatdrops but I'm not making any promises… Also- I don't quite know where to take the story line from here! HELP WOULD BE IMMENSLY APPRECIATED! Help me get some inspiration here, people! 


End file.
